Creation
by Emmizu
Summary: "I want to know what you did to me!" He yelled throwing his hands in the air. "This doesn't make any sense!" She looked up and met his fiery blue eyes. "It's not supposed to make sense."
1. Chapter 1

**Creation**

The room was so dimly lit that he couldn't tell from one side of the room to the other. All he knew that he was laying on padded bedding waiting for something.

He thought he was dead. Cold and unbreathing, dead as life itself. Nothing seemed right. Was everything he was currently experiencing real? It sure felt real but he was dead or close to death anyway…

He tried to move his fingers only to have a numbness run down his body. Then he sensed movement in the room. What was in the room? He couldn't lift his head as much as he tried to look and see for himself.

His senses were sent reeling as ice cold liquid was poured onto his skin. Air left his lungs faster than he could breathe it back in. The feeling of skin prickling made him shiver slightly but his body didn't respond the way he thought it would.

His body was fully paralyzed of movement from the neck down besides the rising and falling of his chest. Thoughts of death and blood remained in his mind as he racked his brain for an explanation of what he was currently experiencing.

No movement.

No sensation.

He had to be dead.

If he wasn't dead then why wasn't he?

Fingers ran threw his hair lightly tugging and twirling the blonde hairs in their hands. His eyes tried focusing in on the person hovering just above. His vision blurred and his breathing hitched again.

"Shh…"

Their hands continued to gently massage his scalp and his eyes began to close. Then he felt a warm liquid… it was faint but still there nonetheless.

Even with his blurry vision he could still make out the blood on their hands as they retreated back to be observed, at least he knew he was in trouble to say the least.

He might not know who was helping him but he was grateful that someone was there to ease the pain. But why had they risked their life just to save his?

* * *

><p>War was a terrible way to end clashes between two or more groups of people. All had different beliefs which the nations wanted to protect no matter what. No one could take away the very beliefs that made the nations strong yet peaceful. Ninjas were created to help protect these ideals and the people that religiously followed them.<p>

War made new destruction and new ideas. Humans aren't perfect nor do they know what could happen next. That's why peace and revenge, two complete opposites, clash and will in defiantly clash forever until the end of time.

The creation of chakra beasts were meant to keep all nine nations peaceful but with these great powers came great destruction. Unfortunately the nations took these gifts for granted and waged more wars in order to gain the beasts for themselves.

These gifts brought greed and with greed comes war, once this mistake was caught by the very people who created them, the beasts began to disappear from the earth. No one could have predicted such a disaster leaving all the nations to pick up the pieces after the fact. But these nations never truly learned the lesson of peace and the importance of keeping it so the battle between peace and revenge continues.

Ninjas are in the middle of it all, leaving many to die before they even reach their mid- twenties. It was only fourteen years ago when a new beast came into existence. It was a child with the powers of one of the legendary tailed beasts, Shukaku. This creation was called a jinchuuriki, a human vessel of a tailed beast.

The jinchuuriki wasn't as great as the real tailed beasts but with enough research and development, the Wind Country created the next greatest weapon for war. Thus throwing the world into another battle to the death killing hundreds upon thousands of ninjas and innocent lives that happen to be in the way.

* * *

><p>The hands returned and began to run their fingers threw his hair again. His vision began to clear only to catch the person tasting his blood with impeccable interest. His brows furrowed at the action. If only he could voice all the questions that were currently running in his mind.<p>

The cool liquid that was previously poured on him continued to slide off his toned body and onto the mattress pad beneath him. Sweat collected on his forehead and the rest of his body as the room began to grow warm.

Suddenly clear of the blurred lines clouding his vision, he could make out the very person helping him. Her hair was dull pink, at shoulder length, but with the candle lights it retained an orange hue. He set his eyes onto her face following her rather large forehead to find calm, jade eyes carefully examining his rather frazzled body. Her eyes narrowed then relaxed as a polite smile formed across her perfect face.

"You are quite lucky, Uzumaki Naruto." She softly whispered taking a cold cloth and wiping it across his forehead.

How the hell did she know his name?

His dried lips cracked open to voice his question only to feel air rushing out of his lungs. He could taste blood seeping into his mouth.

"Shh…" She touched his lips silencing him. "Human are cruel aren't they?"

Naruto watched as her jade eyes trailed from his face down to the rest of his body.

Her head turned back to his and she continued speaking. "But you seem different compared to the others."

She reached her hands out to cup his face and leaned down to kiss his forehead. He closed his eyes in response to the very intimate touch and felt her lips linger. Blood trailed down his chin and neck.

The girl ignored it and placed his head back onto the pillow beneath it.

His eyes fluttered open to find her eyes sparkling in the dark. "I see you have many questions."

He did his best to nod only to feel a shock of pain run down his spine.

She touched his face and smiled again. "Careful… you're supposed to be dead."

Naruto's eyes widened at the comment and panic began to set in.

"I can save you, of course, if you want to be saved." He watched as her hands began to glow a light green.

They disappeared over his chest and a sudden coldness developed in his lungs. An unfamiliar tightness became recognized and disappeared before he could even cry out. The coldness stopped and his breathing became normal besides the panting that he was currently experiencing.

"Of course I can't just use this jutsu to save you." Her eyes darkened. "I will have to use something else, something more powerful."

"What are you…" Naruto struggled between breaths.

The girl interrupted him again. "It will change your whole life."

He remained quiet and carefully studied her face for some sort of explanation only to come up short.

"All I need is your trust and I will do it."

He closed his eyes slowly and turned his head to face the ceiling not sure of what was to come but what other choice did he have if he didn't accept.

"I shall begin then." She smiled sadly and moved down to his lower abdomen.

* * *

><p>Naruto hadn't realized he had fallen asleep but when he awoke, chanting echoed throughout the room. He tried to call out for someone but no words came out only rasps of air.<p>

Her face appeared, their eyes greeting each other. The chanting came to a stop and the scent of blood and death filled his nostrils. Nausea kicked in and his stomach churned at the wretched smell.

Her hand cupped his chin checking over his face. "The smell won't last long… I'm still cleaning you up." She gently wiped her thumb across his jawline watching the shivers that followed behind.

He nodded trying to swallow the impending heave back down his throat.

The girl let out a long sigh before releasing his chin and moving back towards the wreckage. Naruto stared up at the ceiling trying to calm himself. Everything was happening so fast around him; he had no idea how to handle it all. His body was still paralyzed, maybe forever, and he gave up his life to a girl he hardly knew.

The only reassurance he had right now was the fact that he couldn't see his injuries or feel them.

Her chanting started again. It was a strange language she was using. It sounded dark and powerful. With each word it rang in his ears and he had to keep reminding himself to breath.

She stood up, hovering over him for a second, and then disappeared to light more candles around the room. He turned his head and let the scent of blood and death slowly being covered with vanilla and lavender.

She moved gracefully around the room, her gold and green summer kimono flowing easily with the movements of her body. Then he watched as she fingered over some pages in a fairly large book. Whispering quietly and nodding as she went through several pages then closed the book before checking over her shoulder staring straight at him.

Grabbing a few more supplies she headed back over towards the boy and started sprinkling what he presumed to be water on his body.

When the girl returned her hands were beginning to glow a strange red aura. He was so hypnotized by the color he didn't realize that she was trying to speak to him.

"Huh?" He managed to rasp out.

Her eyes showed impatience while her smile did not. "This is going to feel a little strange so please bear with me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and was about to respond when a burning sensation touched his abdomen. An intense pain erupted as the aura began to rip through his very skin. He thought he couldn't feel anything but now he understood _why_ he couldn't move.

The longer her hands stayed in one spot the more he wanted to take back what was happening. His whole body shook violently and foam began to form at the sides of his mouth.

He was choking with each breath of air and tears began to run down his face. He had never experienced such a pain before in his life. He could feel blood seeping from his wounds and the one time he let his gaze shift to where her hands were working, he could see his flesh being torn away layer by layer.

The girl cooed trying to sooth his pain but he began to scream at the top of his lungs trying to make her stop. When she finally came to a halt, an overpowering stench took over the room.

It was the stench of burning flesh. He knew of this smell because of the time he accidentally burned his left arm on the oven trying to prevent an apartment fire. All that was left was a fairly large scar from his elbow down to his wrist.

"I told you it would hurt but I can't stop now." Her voice echoing around them.

When he looked over, he could see her rubbing his wrist with affection, smiling softly when both of their eyes met once again.

"I have to continue."

He looked away and shut his eyes once again. She let go of his wrist, heading straight back to work. Her hands developed the red aura and as soon as her hands met his abdomen, all of the pain came rushing back.

It felt like hours before the girl finally stopped. Naruto kept passing out and was so disorientated from the smells around him, he couldn't think straight. She had to stop the process a few more times because he had stopped breathing and was convulsing risking more injuries to his body.

Now as the boy rested, she soaked her hands in a bowl full of violet liquid, catching her breath as she chanted quietly peeking glances at the blond.

His chest was still burning as if the red aura was still _attached_ to his stomach. His tears were drying and he could feel his body coming back under his control.

"Can I know your name?" Naruto asked between breaths.

The girl didn't acknowledge his question. Instead she stayed quiet chanting louder to ignore him. But when he repeated his question twice as loud, she couldn't help but shoot him a silencing glance.

His whole body tensed.

"You need to rest now." She removed her hands from the violet liquid and wiped them on a towel before reaching out for the boy.

She ran her hands over his whole body and began to whisper in her strange language.

Naruto strained his ears to listen but didn't catch a single word of her jumbled sentences. His hands clenched together at his sides and willed himself to get up. If he wanted answers then he would have to force them out of her.

The sudden action caused the girl to flinch and she frowned seeing him struggle.

"Lay down." Her voice commanded and much to his surprise he fell back onto the futon. "And stay still, Naruto."

A sickening feeling rose from his stomach as a new wave of sickness took over.

The girl watched his face grow pale and helped him sit up, holding a bowl in front of his face. Just as she adjusted his position against her body the blond finally threw up. Blood oozed out of his mouth and mixed in with the unrecognizable matter.

He felt her hand rubbing along his spine making a new wave of nausea hit. Another heave came out seconds later causing more blood to spurt out along with it. Her hands did the same action again making more splash into the bowl.

"Are you making me puke?" Naruto managed to say between breaths. His throat burned along with his stomach but he ignored it the best he could.

The girl adjusted him against her chest and squeezed tighter letting her hands travel to other places on his half naked body.

"It's to make room for something new." She informed him finishing her examination.

"And why would that be happening exactly?" He moved his face to meet hers as his forehead bumped into her chin. Their eyes meeting again.

"You aren't pure anymore. You've been created into a new life."

Naruto kept his eyes glued on hers. "How so?"

"I want you to rest now."

"Tell me what you did."

She shook her head. "I cannot do that right now. You need to build your strength up while your old body breaks down."

His eyes narrow dangerously. "What do you mean?"

"Please rest Naruto. We will talk later."

Her hands moved over his eyes and before he knew it, she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Well... I'm starting another new story and I hope you all enjoyed this lovely chapter. Please give me your thoughts and review below!<strong>

**P.S. My other stories will be updated next week after I get back from my Spring Break Vacation :) **

**PLEASE REVIEW BELOW FOR FASTER UPDATES! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Creation**

Beep… Beep… Beep.

"Please wake up today, Naruto."

Beep… Beep… Beep.

"If you can hear me then please wake up."

Beep… Beep… Beep.

"That's it I'm going-"

"Let him rest, Ino." Another voice broke in silencing the other. "You know what the Hokage said, right?"

"Yeah I know but he's been like this for a whole week! I can't help if I'm worried. Aren't you?"

The deeper voice scoffed at the remark. "Yes I'm somewhat concerned but he will be fine."

"Well aren't you the optimistic one today." The sarcasm thick in the girl's voice.

"Hn."

* * *

><p>These voices were so familiar if only he could grasp onto the conversation and wake up. But his whole being felt heavy, sedated with medication that could kill any normal human being yet he was totally fine… at least that's what it felt like anyway.<p>

Their arguing was getting louder and more fierce both blaming the other for whatever situation they were talking about.

He was lost in the darkness of his mind wandering on with no light and hoping to find a way out. Every so often he would hear a deep rumbling coming from all around him teasing him and beckoning him further into the darkness.

But he didn't want to go, not now anyway. If he let his curiosity get the better of him and he did as the voice said to then would he be able to turn back? He wanted to see the light of day again not the cold, empty place he was currently trying to free himself from.

He tripped over his own feet landing in, what he presumed to be, water. Suddenly feeling hot and tired, he plunged his head into the water wanting oh so desperately to clear his mind. The voice was so relentless in its desires he couldn't bear it anymore.

And once his head went under, the voice disappeared and he was met with still silence. The only sound was quiet rippling as the water swayed side to side around his body.

He ran out of air and returned to the surface hearing the voice come back at full force. Screaming louder and wondering why he wouldn't listen to a word it was saying.

A rush of anger overcame the boy and he screamed out telling it to shut the hell up. It disappeared as fast as it had come and candle lights came to life all around him.

He sat on his hands and knees in a hallway that branched off into two directions. Each one seemed equally safe to follow but he knew that one would lead into the darkness and the other would be the light he was searching for.

In the back of his mind, he could still hear his comrades arguing which was really beginning to drive him crazy. He began to stand up when a soft giggling came from the right tunnel.

He shot up recognizing the voice and could see in the shadows her short green and gold kimono. Was she watching him the whole time?

Her pale hand pointed towards the other tunnel making sure the rest of her body remained covered in the shadows.

The boy looked at the girl then to where she was pointing.

"Are you sure?" He called out checking over towards her again. He could tell she was nodding and waving him away.

Without a second thought he began to walk towards her, the splashing of his stride echoing all around them. He stopped just a few feet shy of her seeing she was reseeding back into the shadows.

So she didn't want him to come any closer?

He sighed sensing the tension in the room. "Thank you." He whispered and waved before heading into the opposite tunnel never once looking back even if he could feel her eyes on him as he walked towards the light.

* * *

><p>His eyes fluttered open slowly taking the time to adjust to the new lighting and all the noise around him.<p>

The friends present in the room took notice of his awareness, their arguing came to a halt, and the furious tension in the room melted instantly.

He slowly propped himself on his elbows feeling dizzy. He looked from one comrade's face to the other and a small grin began to form. "I feel like I've been sleeping… for years."

"You've been sleeping for a good week or so." His dark, blue eyes met a girl with blonde hair in a high ponytail.

He didn't say anything. Letting the information sink in slowly.

She crept closer to the bed and smiled taking a seat right next to him. "Do you remember who we are?"

He scoffed at the question. "Of course I do! You're Ino and the dude with the stick up his ass is Sasuke."

Ino held up her hands and told him to calm down. "Okay I was just making sure! But do you remember everyth-"

"Ino, I'm sure Naruto's head is fine." Sasuke said walking up behind the girl. "Well fine enough to survive anyway," adding a smirk onto his face.

Naruto glared at the boy and turned his attention to Ino feeling her squeezing and rubbing his hand with her fingers tenderly. That's when he noticed his arms were bandaged… all the way up to his shoulders. He threw his covers off the bed and took note that there were bandages all around his body. Strange writings were written all over him too.

He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Ino cut him off.

"We don't know what those words mean. When they let us finally come and see you today, they asked us not to take notice to them."

Naruto met her eyes for a moment then went back to gawking at the inscriptions. What if he tore off the bandages? Would anything happen if he did?

The longer he stared at his body, the more fuzzy and confusing images that kept popping up in his mind. There was a scent of burnt skin in the air mixed with lavender and vanilla. A dark room with candles lit all around and then…. he remembered the girl very clearly.

Goosebumps erupted all over his body and his hair stood on end. Her dull pink hair and her slender body in a short, green and gold kimono but her eyes were what he remembered most about her. They were an emerald green that would darken or lighten depending on her mood.

He remembered her light butterfly touches as her fingers roamed through his hair and grazed over his skin. A shiver ran down his spine and sweat collected on his forehead.

Everything came back so fresh and clear in his mind but it all came crashing down when Ino snapped him back into reality.

She shook his shoulders threatening to slap him if he didn't come back to earth. She recoiled when she met his distraught face.

"What's the matter, Naruto?"

Just as he was about to spill what he experienced, the words caught in his throat and an eruption of pain coursed in his abdomen. He flinched reflexively and clutched his stomach.

"Uh… nothing just remembered a dream I had."

She eyed him carefully and let her hands slip off his shoulders back into her lap.

"Must have been some dream. You're all… sweaty." Sasuke added in pulling up a chair to sit beside Ino.

Naruto ignored the comment and rubbed the back of his neck hoping his body would just calm down already.

Just then, a nurse came in to check up on him and asked both Ino and Sasuke to leave the room for a moment. She checked his vitals and asked him sit on the edge of the bed to check his bandages. He did as he was told and complied quietly.

He analyzed every movement as she carefully but quickly looked over every inch of his body. He wanted to know what was so important about the inscriptions. He flinched when her hands came in contact with his abdomen.

"So does your abdomen hurt right now, Naruto- sama?" She asked writing notes in her pad.

He nodded and watched as she left the room immediately calling back, "A doctor will be in as soon as possible."

He waited uncomfortably, shifting from side to side letting his thoughts drift back to the strange girl and mysterious events that surrounded her. His numb body, the burning smell of skin, her healing powers, and the chanting were all the things he wanted to know about.

He studied his hands seeing some of the black ink turn to blue then to red and finally back to black as it led up to his shoulders. It seemed the main chakra points were linked with the red letterings. Looking at his abdomen he noticed the whole region was covered in red.

Just then a woman by the name of Shizune walked in and closed the door behind her. Meeting the blond's eyes, she smiled and said, "So are you feeling groggy today, Naruto- kun?"

He shook his head not entirely understanding the meaning behind the question.

Shizune clicked a pen in her hand and wrote vigorously into her notepad. "Now," she said practically skipping over to him. "I need you to lie flat down on the bed for me please."

He did as he was told and watched cautiously as she began a secondary survey on his body. She probed every part of his body avoiding his abdomen and checking his pulses. Writing down more notes in her pad she asked, "Now what would you describe the pain in your abdomen to be?"

"Umm… it's like a burning pain that sort of radiates all over my chest."

"A burning pain, huh, anything else?"

His eyebrows rose thinking if there was anything else. "I'm pretty sure that's it."

"How do you feel emotionally?" She asked urging him to sit up again to check his breathing with a stethoscope.

Now that question really sent him into confusion. How did he feel emotionally? Well there was frustration, irritation, and exhaustion. Then again… he really didn't feel all _that_ exhausted. He felt perfectly fine like he could go down on the ground and do a thousand push-ups without stopping which probably didn't sound right at all if he said it out loud.

"I feel fine." Naruto answered.

"Just fine?" She asked stepping back to study his face. "Do you feel angry, violent, or stressed?"

His mouth dropped open. "Am I supposed to feel violent?"

She waved her hands dismissively and quickly said, "Nevermind it was just a question."

"This might sound rude but what the hell are you asking all these questions for?" He blurted out watching as Shizune's face fell into a frown.

"I'll be back later with some more medication. Visiting hours are almost over so I'll let Ino and Sasuke back in." She left as fast as she had come and left the door ajar for his friends.

Both Ino and Sasuke came back in the room immediately asking him questions to which he had no answers to.

"No Shizune didn't tell me anything about this!" Naruto yelled pointing to his bandaged body. "She came in and then left without any explanations!"

Ino smacked the top of his head and said, "Maybe you should ask Lady Hokage."

"But I haven't seen her!"

"Quit whining! You just woke up!"

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted.

Suddenly Sasuke spoke up. "What happened to you after we left to take care of our injuries?"

The blond shrugged his shoulders and mumbled, "I don't remember what happened after you two left. It's all a blur."

Sasuke remained quiet and eyed him carefully. "You've had all this time in the hospital and being away from the village that you don't remember a single thing that happened?"

"Exactly." Naruto said shortly shooting the raven haired boy a silencing glare.

"I think you're lying. You've always been a terrible liar."

"Why do you want to know? Do you have a problem with that answer?"

Ino held up her hands distancing the boys from eachother. "Would you two stop fighting for one second?" She looked at Sasuke first and said, "He's right maybe he hit his head and forgot some things that happened and you," She turned back to face Naruto. "Don't get sensitive over this. Got it?"

Both boys sighed in response.

"Good." She gazed over at a clock on top of the door. "Visiting hours are almost up so we should probably get going and let you rest."

Before leaving Ino rubbed the top of Naruto's head and dragged Sasuke out by his sleeve.

"See ya later!" She called before shutting the door behind her.

* * *

><p>The longer he sat staring at the white hospital walls the faster he wanted to sprint out of there screaming his head off. Plus it didn't help that he was starting to get itchy under all the bandages.<p>

Nurses kept bouncing in and out of the room checking on his pain levels and seeing if his vitals were still normal. Just as one would enter the room, Naruto would immediately start asking questions but none of them acknowledged his existence. So he sat in wait for Baa- chan to come and check in on him like all the nurses said she would.

But the hours were flying by and he was pretty sure that she would be drinking by now or fell asleep doing paper work. Sometimes it would be a combination.

Mustering up his strength, the blond got up from the hospital bed and went for the door. It was about ten o' clock at night now and most of the nurses had made their last rounds for the next hour or so. He checked that the coast was clear and started off down the hallway.

Once or twice a nurse or doctor would come around the corner and he would have to jump into a closet or another room but otherwise he was making great progress to get out of the hospital. He was on the last set of stairs, going past a meeting room when he heard voices talking fairly loud. He stopped short and stood next to the opening of the cracked door sensing one of the voices was the very person he was waiting for.

"He should be kept underground and trained for the better of the nation!" One voice yelled before being hushed by Shizune's voice.

"This is a young shinobi that we are talking about here! He is vital for the prosperity of this village and nation!"

Naruto flinched as a hand was slammed onto a table silencing them both. "I will handle this situation with the elders! Both of you need to shut up and keep this between us. If anyone else in the village… outside of village find out about this we are ruined! Got it?"

Both Shizune and the unfamiliar voice answered yes quietly.

"Good. Now I'm going to go and check in on a patient, if you will excuse me."

Suddenly Naruto could hear her clicking heels coming towards the door to which he froze in place unsure of what to do. When she shot through, she immediately caught his ear and dragged him far enough away to slam him up against a wall.

"What the hell are you doing out of your room?" She whispered spitting with each word.

Before he could even answer, the Hokage was already pushing him down the hall and back up the stairs as Shizune and the other person came walking out of the room. She bent down to his hear and said, "We can't let him see you so hurry up."

Naruto nodded and trotted up the stairs making sure not to trip or cause any sudden noises to catch their attention. Arriving back into his room, the Hokage shut the door behind them.

"Now are you going to tell me what you think you were doing back there? That was a private conversation! You're lucky I caught you just in time before any of them noticed!" She yelled and pushed the boy back onto his bed.

"I'm sorry! I was just looking for you!"

"Well you've got my attention now what is it?" She asked crossing her arms.

He gulped. "Is there something wrong with me? Is that why I'm all bandaged and written on?"

"No nothing is wrong with you. When you came in you were all disoriented and angry with someone. It was like you…." She sighed. "Look the point is you're fine now so I wouldn't worry about it."

"Yeah but you said I was disoriented and angry!"

"If you think there is a problem then I guess you're a better doctor than I am." Suddenly she pulled out a needle from her pocket and began to walk towards the boy. "It's time for you to rest. This will help you sleep and relief the pain from your abdomen."

How did she know there was something wrong with his abdomen? Of course she would, she's the head doctor of the hospital so she had to know everything right? Before he forgot he had one more question as she stuck the needle in his arm.

"So where did you find me, Baa- chan?"

This scene was so familiar. Here he was asking all the questions while nobody gave him answers. He would fall into a deep slumber while they lived with their secrets, wide awake and unhinged.

Was everything going to be like this now?

He really hoped not.

* * *

><p><strong>Well here's another update for you guys! :) I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter but I think it will do. It's a long update so I hope this satisfies all of you until the next chapter! It will probably be a time skip and maybe more clues revealed! So what do we all think of Ino being part of team 7 formation? Personally I like the idea of it all but that's just how I feel about it. I promise more things such as what happened before he met the 'mystery' girl and things like this will be clear soon. Just a quick note for everyone it's summer break for me so updates will be quicker than they have been! The next update for Cannibal with be up soon as will other stories! <strong>

**P.S. lots of reviews equals probably a happier author and quicker updates until next time!**

**REVIEW BELOW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Creation**

It's been a month and a half since the blond had started to live in his 'new life'. Tsunade was making him come back to the hospital once a week to check up on him and the burns on his abdomen. It was cleaned and rewrapped every time he visited.

He had witnessed the burns. The skin that was there now was ugly and distorted. Unlike his burn on his left arm, this one still hurt like it was constantly held by a fire and melting like wax on a candle.

The doctors had given him pain medication to deal with what they called 'phantom' pain but he stopped when he realized it wasn't working. Plus when he took the drugs, his whole attitude and demeanor would change and he hated not being in control.

Ino made sure to stop by his apartment at least once a day between her breaks from her family's flower shop a couple blocks away. She always brought her bubbly personality and homemade treats to try and distract him long enough to not worry about his so called 'little problems'.

But when she left and the apartment was still with silence his mind instantly went on a rampage. Everything he did seemed to bring back memories of what happened almost two months ago.

He hadn't seen or heard from _that girl_ since the incident. Although he wasn't really sure he did want to meet her again. Especially since she gave him an ugly burn on his body for no apparent reason except to destroy his 'old self' for a better one.

He wanted to know why she would go through all the trouble of saving his life. What was so important about him of all people? Surely some other ninja could have been saved. Millions were at war dying and killing other from different nations and yet she _**chose**_ him.

He wasn't sure if he should be grateful and find her right away to thank her for her troubles or be angry and get the answers he so badly desired. Then again, why wasn't he angry with her right this very second?

Staring at his hands, Naruto could barely remember when he was attacked by the enemies. Ino had to get away to help Sasuke's life threatening injuries and he was left behind to defend both of them. He remembered getting beaten pretty badly but most of it was a blur, probably because of the wounds he sustained in the fight. He lost consciousness and the next thing he knew, he was being saved by the rosette.

Anything in between his death and waking up in her arms was gone. Not a single memory remained in his mind. No matter how hard he tried to regain his memories his head would start to cramp up in a way that would make anyone give up all hope.

Several knocks were heard at the door and when he didn't answer right away, they became more persistent and loud.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming already just hold it." He swung the door open only to find Ino at his door with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies and a big, cheesy smile to match. He stepped aside and let her pass willingly.

"So what's going on? You haven't been training with us at all since you got out of the hospital. It's not like you!" She set the cookies on the kitchen counter and threw her hands into the air. "It's seriously like when you disappeared along with your drive!"

He didn't know why but he really didn't like the last sentence. It just sounded weird.

"Baa- chan told me that I should avoid strenuous activities until I'm cleared by the hospital."

Ino's face dropped into an unsettling frown. "That's not like you at all. You hate taking orders from the hospital! You never stopped training until you fell asleep and-"

Naruto interrupted immediately. "Look this isn't what I wanted to happen but if I do as they say right now then maybe they will leave me alone."

"Maybe they would leave you alone if you started acting like your normal self!"

"You've got to be kidding me, Ino. Have you seen how much I have changed?"

The statement defiantly got her full attention. Her eyes traveled slowly down his body making sure not to leave one spot left unstudied. She blinked and then shot him an annoyed glare.

"So what if you changed boys go through puberty don't they?"

"It might be puberty but I highly doubt it happens at this rate!"

Ino's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Naruto, what are you trying to say?"

"Forget it. I have no idea what I'm talking about anymore." He dismissed the conversation with the wave of his hand, grabbed a cookie off the top of the plate and munched on it quietly.

Several minutes passed before another word was uttered and much to Naruto's dismay, Ino just had to bring up his injuries.

"So how are you feeling? Is the medicine still working?"

"I'm fine since I stopped using it."

"Why would you do that?" Her voice rose higher with suspicion. "Are you trying not to heal properly?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "I have told you a million times, Ino, I wouldn't even think of doing that."

"Well if you aren't delaying anything… then stop acting so weird and come train with us." And by us she meant her, Sasuke and Kakashi- sensei.

He sighed. "You should go home now, Ino."

* * *

><p>Naruto stared in the bathroom mirror of his apartment wondering what else was going to going to happen. He leaned back and touched the bandages on his stomach then his fingers dragged slowly up his newly toned body. His muscles weren't huge but there were lines and cuts of muscles that he didn't even know existed on a human body. His shoulders were broad and he was pretty sure he could look straight into Sasuke's eyes with no problem.<p>

Puberty wasn't even a close enough reason to explain the changes that his body was going through physically. Plus he didn't tire out as easily like he normally would have. In fact, he had been training in secrecy. Testing and proving, to only himself, what drastic changes were happening to him since the incident.

He walked out of the bathroom in only his boxers and gazed over at a clock on his nightstand seeing it read about midnight. Letting out a sigh, Naruto collapsed onto his bed and rubbed his eyes realizing how tired he actually was.

Lately getting enough sleep just didn't come as easily anymore. The most sleep he got now was at least three to four hours per night. Most people couldn't even live their lives with that amount of sleep. Maybe if he tried not to think at all then maybe, just maybe he could get at least another hour added to his new sleeping routine.

...

After awhile of just staring mindlessly at the ceiling, his eyes slowly closed as a deep, malevolent voice began to whisper his name chuckling each time until the voice began to change into a lighter, softer tone.

"Naruto…"

Something brushed up against his skin and he growled in protest. There was no way in hell he was going to wake up when he finally just drifted off to sleep. But whoever it was clearly insisted for him to wake up.

When he finally complied, he was in the shock of his life.

"It's you." He dumbly stated staring straight into her emerald orbs.

She smiled in response and ran a hand through his blond locks. He slowly blinked as her fingers lightly tugged the strands of his hair until there was no more left to roam in. With the girl's help, he was able to sit up and see he was right in the same room as before.

All the candles were in the same exact place, in fact, everything was the same as it was the last time. Except the bedding had changed and the smell of burning flesh seemed to have disappeared completely.

Looking over at the girl, he could see her glaring at his abdomen. He touched it reflexively watching as she shot him the same look.

"What's wrong?" He asked as she scooted closer and slapped his hand away.

"What have _they_ been doing to you?"

He scoffed at the question. "Don't you mean what you did to me and who's they?"

"The _humans_ have been touching you haven't they?" Her jaw tensed up when he didn't answer right away.

"I've been going in for check- ups at the hospital if that's what you're getting at."

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his torso to undo the bandages as Naruto squirmed and flushed at the close contact.

"Hey! Wh- What are you doing?" He sputtered as her body pressed up against him.

He felt the bandages come loose and watched as the girl leaned back to inspect the damage. Never in his entire life had he experienced being self- conscious until now.

She wasted no time as her eyes examined every square inch of the burn and began to murmur in her strange language. With each spoken word his whole body began to vibrate and an ear splitting ring coarsed into his ears.

As his vision became faint, the girl leaned up to his ear and whispered huskily, "We're beginning to connect to eachother, Naruto. Can you feel it?"

Naruto nodded and buried his face into the crook of her neck. Breathing in her warm, vanilla scent brought on an eruption of goosebumps. What did she mean by that?

Her hands slid up the sides of his body and ended on top of his shoulders close to his collarbone. She leaned back staring into his glazed over irises and smiled in content. Next she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly to her.

A warm tightness developed in the pit of Naruto's stomach and he growled as her fingers entangled themselves in his bright, blond hair again. His mind was so disconnected with what was happening that he couldn't even process all of the sensations he was currently experiencing.

He jumped when she lightly nibbled on his left ear and a shaky breath escaped him. Suddenly, the warmth of her body disappeared as she gently leaned him back onto the bedding. He didn't resist the abrupt movement instead he watched her roll out a large black scroll full of all sorts of diagrams and writings.

What was he going to do if she was planning to do something to him again? Would he be able to stop her? Why was he letting her near him with all this confusion? Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get the chance to mull over these questions because now the girl was taking a paint brush, dipping it in black paint and writing all over his body in a fast paced motion.

"What do you think you are doing?" He rasped out.

She stopped mid-gesture and glared towards the blond. "I'm merging two souls. Now please don't move." Just as she started going again, Naruto noticed the scorched marks on her pale hands.

"What happened to your hands?"

"It's not important."

He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The way her hands were damaged reminded him of the burn on his abdomen. If the jutsu used was powerful enough to damage him, imagine how bad her wounds were.

"You plan on keeping everything from me, don't you?"

"You will know everything when the time is right."

"You mean when you're ready, right?" He earned a silencing glare from the girl.

After a while she had written all the way up to his chin and set down the brush to unroll the scroll further. Naruto propped up on his elbow and looked over the girl as she slowly moved to meet his gaze. Her emerald eyes darkened and just as she opened her mouth to speak, Naruto interrupted.

"This isn't going to be the last time we meet, is it?" Seeing as the rosette wasn't going to answer, he continued on. "If you tell me your name I promise to let you have your way."

She pondered the request and ran a hand through her hair.

"Do you really have to think about-" Two fingers silenced him.

"I'm being cautious because anyone can be listening in on us. If people were to find out about this it could mean trouble."

He nodded for her to continue on.

"Everything we do from now on will be documented and used for further decisions. I must complete your creation in order to bring internal balance between the two of us so our bond is stronger and better." She slid her fingers off his lips and made a path down his neck and came to rest on his collarbone.

Naruto grabbed both of her hands and examined them briefly before the girl ripped them out of his grip.

"Lay back down. We have to finish this."

He took another glance at her hands. "What about your hands?"

She scoffed at the question. "Hopefully your human emotions will cease to exist after this."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing important. Just lay down so I can fix you up."

Naruto slowly lowered himself down on the bedding watching carefully as the girl drew closer to his body. Her hands touched the scorched skin on his belly and he shuddered.

He cocked his to his side and watched the red glow emanate from her hands. He held his breath in anticipation only to be surprised once again as the entity didn't scorch his skin nor tear through it. Instead, the words on his body began to slither towards the center. The sensation felt like a feather brushing lightly against him.

Once all the words met in the middle, they seemed to melt altogether and pulsate at the core. He looked down at his nails noticing them growing longer and sharper. Running his tongue over his teeth, he found his canines had also become long and sharp.

A feeling of anger and malevolence clouded his mindset. The longer he stared at the girl the more he just wanted to-

"Naruto…"

Her voice commanded his whole attention. She reached over to cup his face as a design began to form and fester replacing the scarred tissue of his old burn. Looking into her eyes, he could see his own reflection and it wasn't pretty.

The scars on his cheeks were dark and feral looking while his eyes were a blood red. Before he could even register the feeling against his lips, she forced his mouth open with her tongue and straddled his hips. After a few seconds of hesitant kisses between the two, the girl broke away and lingered close.

"It's almost done and then we can finally strengthen our connection."

Just as she was about to crawl off, Naruto lunged and pushed her down on the ground to pin her underneath him. He was trembling in pure, undescribable anger but the girl remained calm and glared straight at him.

"Get off me or else." She warned.

He snarled back, "Or what?"

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger! :P <strong>

**When was the last time I updated this story? Oh yeah... June. I've had terrible writer's block and I've come to the conclusion that there are two stories that are holding me back, which are 'Cannibal' & 'Strangers'. Pretty much I've written these stories to the point in which I can't create anything else to happen in them. It makes me sad to say this but I'm thinking of deleting the stories to make roam for other muses that I have been dying to write. So I'm just going to apologize right now to the readers who are waiting patiently for them to be updated. By the time you see this author note they will probably be gone. I don't want to put them up for adoption because I don't feel comfortable in having someone else take over, so I hope you all understand. **

**Also what in world is going on in the Naru/Saku section of fanfiction? Amazing stories are seriously lacking & it makes me sad! How are authors suppose to find inspiration when there isn't awesome stories to follow? D; **

**PLEASE REVIEW THIS STORY BELOW! :) I NEED YOUR OPINIONS. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Creation**

_"Get off me or else." She warned._

_He snarled back, "Or what?"_

…..

Naruto's eyes snapped wide open. He was back in his room, on top of his bed and only in his boxers, nothing else. He stared at the ceiling. He stretched out his arms looking at his right arm then comparing it to his left. The burn that marked him from wrist to elbow stole his attention for the next couple of minutes. He brought it closer and let his right hand wander over the burn.

Next his hands traveled to his abdomen feeling the slightly raised skin due to the new symbols engraved into his skin. It tickled whenever he traced along the paths of the tattoo. He paused. It will be forever marked on his body and would never wash away.

What was he going to say when he had another checkup for his burn? It wasn't there anymore. How could he explain how some girl, who he had no idea about, made it disappear?

He rolled onto his side to stare out his window. He ached all over. Groaning he sat up and gazed around his room. How late was it? The clock showed 2:30 a.m.

Naruto rubbed his eyes noticing a piece of paper folded neatly on his kitchen table. Every step he took ached severely but his curiosity won him over. Unfolding the paper, he ran a hand through his blond hair.

_Sakura._

The blond took a quick surveillance around his apartment checking to see if she was hiding in the shadows. The room was empty. He let out a long sigh.

"I need to sleep." He crawled into bed and went back to staring at the ceiling. Everything was too quiet. It didn't seem right. His eyes began to droop before long.

….

"_Come… closer…" The dark, malevolent voice echoed all around him. The blond took a cautious step towards the voice's location. The hallways were still filled with water as he trudged a few steps forward. The same words echoing over and over, "Come… closer…" _

_The hallway seemed never ending and the further he traveled, as he followed the voice, the warmer the water was. He kept turning around checking to see if anyone was following him but it was too dark to see behind him so he focused most of his efforts forward. _

_The voice roared louder, "Come to me… faster…" _

_He stopped as the tunnel came to an end and there was an opening into a large room. "Naruto…" The voice rumbled again. _

_Swallowing his fear, he walked through the entryway revealing an enormous cage. The room grew eerily quiet. The only sound was water dropping from the tall ceilings. _

_Something in the darkness reached out and touched the burn on his arm. The blond turned ready to pounce only to meet the girl again… _

_She leaned forward and up to his ear. "Don't go near the cage, Naruto. You won't like what's in there." She stepped back and circled around him. "Promise me?"_

"_Sakura…" The name played smoothly over his tongue and she smiled. "What are you doing here?"_

"_Leading you away from something that shouldn't be visited yet." _

_Naruto nodded feeling it was better to just agree with her than argue. "Where do you want me to go then?"_

_Her answer was quick. "With me."_

_His stomach flip flopped with uneasiness remembering what she is capable of and the embarrassing kisses they shared. His face burned with shame and he turned away from her._

_But she persisted. "I won't do any more harm. The painful stuff is over now." _

"_Why can't I hear that voice anymore?" Naruto asked suddenly remembering its absence. _

"_I'm here," She said cocking her head to the side and grabbing his hand. Squeezing tightly as she began to lead him back down the hallway trudging through the water noisily. _

_Naruto followed quickly behind her, checking around as they traveled through different hallways. Each of them looking exactly the same yet different in direction._

_Finally they reached the place where the hallway divided into two. He was here before._

"_Naruto…" _

_He gazed down to find the girl standing very close to him. His senses were on high alert. She reached up and lightly traced a scar on his face. Her face was full of curiosity and wonder. His stomach flip- flopped again. He tried not to look into her eyes but he did and what he saw was them darkening with mischief. He knew what was coming. _

_He closed his eyes and waited, feeling her stretching up to reach his mouth. But no contact came and he reopened his eyes to find that she had stopped her pursuit. He realized his hands were firmly on her hips keeping her from moving away. _

"_Is it okay if I…" Her voice trailed off as she wrapped her arms around his neck. His body was tense and rigid. She hid her face against his shoulder as he let loosened his grip on her hips. _

_The room felt muggy and hot. The atmosphere in the room was just as intense. _

_Naruto gulped. "Sakura is a nice name. It matches you perfectly."_

"_What makes you say that?"_

"_You remind me of a cherry blossom." _

_She gazed up at him, her eyes set a blazed. "Do you mean it?" _

_He nodded. _

_She kissed him on the lips. They were soft and inviting but he froze at the contact. She kissed him again with more urgency. Her fingers entangled themselves in his hair while the blond's hands pressed her body against his. He cautiously kissed her back until he couldn't breathe anymore. _

_Naruto broke the kiss and gazed down at the girl. She seemed totally satisfied and renewed. She licked her lips and gave him another peck for good measure. _

_Her expression changed to fear once she leaned back. "I'm sorry, Naruto. I didn't mean to…"_

"_It's fine I don't mind," Naruto mumbled under his breath trying to cool his burning cheeks. "Just warn me next time." The last part was a joke but Sakura seemed to take it as a serious comment. She took a step back releasing herself from him. _

"_Naruto…"_

"_Naruto!"_

"_NAR-U-TO!" _

_That wasn't Sakura's voice calling out to him. She had long since disappeared. Now he was in darkness. No light, no noise and no sight. He could feel himself falling at an accelerating rate until…_

Naruto snapped back into reality. His vision blurred then slowly came back into focus. He was out in the streets of the village… in just his boxers. Gazing down, he found Ino standing before him with a worried expression brushed throughout her expression.

"Uh… where am I?" The blond turned to his surroundings seeing he was close to the village's main entrance, which was also the only exit.

Ino's eyes widened. "You mean you don't remember anything?"

Naruto shook his head returning his attention to her.

"You were walking like you were in a trance and you were mumbling in this _**weird**_ language." She tore her gaze away from him and took a deep breath. "I've never seen you like that before and not to mention you have a tattoo on your abdomen!"

Naruto reflexively covered his abdomen with his arms. "What do you mean by 'weird' language?"

Ino's brows furrowed. "What do you want me to try to copy what you were saying?" She shrugged and added, "All I can say is I'm taking you to Lady Tsunade!" She latched onto Naruto's wrist and started leading him away.

Just as he was turning to follow Ino something near the village gate caught his eye. He pulled Ino back and swallowed hard. Instantly, his heart sank. It couldn't be her but who else would it be? In the middle of the gate's opening was Sakura in her green and gold kimono, smiling wickedly. Chills ran up and down his spine.

Oh god. What the hell was she doing near his village?

Ino, after struggling with him for a good minute, got him back to moving again. But his eyes remained glued to the girl. He noticed the gate's guards, from their check in area, had their eyes on her too. They were tense. Could they sense her power? Just as they were getting up to talk to her, she disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"Naruto quit fighting with me and hurry up! We need to get you to Lady Tsunade before everybody in the village starts waking up and coming into the streets!" She tugged harder and eventually got him to fully follow her. It didn't take long to get the Hokage's building.

But he had to admit that climbing up the stairs was the most agonizing pain he had experienced since meeting Sakura. He didn't feel right. It felt as if he had gotten the crap beaten out of him. Ino didn't seem to care though because she kept on gradually speeding up as they got closer to Tsunade's office.

Thankfully the pair reached the top and just as they reached the door to enter the building, Tsunade came ripping out the door almost knocking Ino to the ground.

"Excuse me! Get out of the way!"

Ino yelled after the blonde woman. "Wait Lady Tsunade! There's something wrong with Naruto!"

The Hokage turned on her heels halting Shizune, who was following closely behind her. "Can this wait? I have an emergency…" Her words failed her as she gazed down at the boy's abdomen.

Shizune's reaction was quick. "What in the world is going on here?" She stepped forward and grabbed onto Naruto's wrists as he tried to cover himself. "How did this happen?"

Naruto's voice became shrill. "I have no idea! It wasn't there until Ino woke me up!"

"You're lying through your teeth!" Shizune's grip tightened on his wrists. Naruto yelped.

Ino studied the Hokage's quiet composure. She seemed to be deciding something before she would react. Their eyes met for a moment before the Hokage stomped forward and smacked the teenage boy on the head, knocking him to his knees. He clutched his head, groaning in pain.

"Why are you always causing trouble right when new problems arise?" Her voice had an air of distaste. "If only you would just be honest with me maybe you wouldn't be finding yourself cornered all the time."

Ino shivered as Naruto began to tremble uncontrollably. Something wasn't right. He was hyperventilating so the shaking doubled over. Ino knelt down beside him as Tsunade told him to sit and try to breath calmly.

Why could he hear that voice from his dream? The girl flashed through his mind again and more panicked thoughts overcame him. She was in the village the whole time from when he found her note to the moment she disappeared from the entrance. A cold feeling racked his whole body. This wasn't right.

In a distant part of his mind he heard Tsunade say, "We need to take him to the hospital and help him calm down medically. Right now he isn't with us."

"No!" He slapped Ino and Shizune's hands from him. "Don't touch me!"

"Naruto we're trying to help you!" Ino tugged at his arms only to have him fight her back.

"I'm not going anywhere with any of you! Just leave me alone!" He released his comrade's hands from him and pushed past Tsunade. He had to make it down the stairs and he would be safe in no time. Just as he reached the first step down someone crossed into his path.

He saluted the Hokage and patted Naruto's head as he ran right into him. "Yo… what's going on here?"

Naruto pushed his sensei roughly to the side and bolted down the stairs and into the already crowded streets. He could hear them yelling after him but he didn't stop. He didn't care about his burning lungs or aching body, he just had to get away.

Finally he reached his destination, the exit out of the village. Naruto wiped the sweat off his forehead and approached the guards at their check in area. Both men eyed him carefully as the blond did his best to smile without looking too anxious or forced.

"Excuse me but I need to check out of the village for an hour or two, is that okay?"

The younger of the two spoke up. "May I ask why you are in your boxers?"

Heat rushed to Naruto's cheeks. "Let's just say I'm going to go train in the water." He almost forgot to smile.

The guard gave him a once over before grunting and signing him out but before he could finish though, Naruto grabbed his pen and scribbled out his name. The guard's head snapped up. Naruto spoke quickly and promised to pay them if they kept their mouths shut about seeing him. None of them made a sound or movement so he took the chance to exit before they could change their minds. Up ahead he could see a team of ninja returning to the village so he decided to detour into the forest before anybody else could see him in his bright pink boxers with little frogs all over them.

He rubbed his temples absentmindedly as the menacing voice in his head roared in laughter. Naruto had no idea what he was thinking by following the voice's orders but some part of him was too curious to care about the consequences. His body seemed to move on its own as he continued on.

He was heading straight for her.

…

"I don't want any of you following him for the time being."

Ino wasn't having it. "He can't be left out there alone! What if the elders find out that he left! They are going to change his status to rogue and all the head hunters will claim his worth!"

"Can it Ino," The Hokage boomed. "They won't be finding out, you hear me? This is confidential as of right now."

Kakashi cleared his throat. "You already have someone tailing him, don't you Hokage-sama?"

She nodded curtly and whispered something to Shizune. She then escorted them out the door and sent them on their way. Shizune returned shortly after and didn't waste any time to ask her superior who was given the job to escort Naruto back.

"An old friend of mine, you probably know him as the 'Frog Sage'."

Shizune's eyes widened. "Why him of all people?"

Tsunade turned to the windows and stared out onto the crowded streets below. "He owes me and this village a few favors. Plus he was in the area I think Naruto was headed to."

"You think?" Shizune offered up. In the reflection of the window she could see her master smile.

"Alright you caught me," Her brown eyes gleamed with mischief. "I know so."

* * *

><p>I'm not really sure what to think of this chapter. I know a lot of you are probably confused why I skipped from one scene (the end of last chapter) to him waking up in his bed. Let's just say that's just some of the mystery to be solved later on. As far as why this chapter was a little fast paced? I'm determined to get to the juicy chapters I have in store for you! Mwuahahaha! So I'm sorry if this chapter seems rushed but I gotta do it in order to keep my writer's block at bay!<p>

Please leave a review down below! It would make me very happy! :)

**REVIEW YOU FOOLS! GIVE ME MOTIVATION!**

(Goes back to playing Pokémon Heartgold version) xD


	5. Chapter 5

**Creation**

He didn't know how much time had passed only that it had to close to the end of the afternoon. The air was cooling and the wind was beginning to pick up. The clouds above were gloomy and rumbled with impending lightening. The blond knew where he was going but his head was pounding from the voice's constant yelling. He was thankful that he was in a heavily wooded area or else he would be stumbling over his feet constantly. The trees were so close together, he took advantage and used them as a crutch.

The wind shifted suddenly. He turned a sharp gaze to the west and the stench of burnt flesh wafted towards him. His stomach instantly churned. That's when he sensed someone a couple kilometers due west. Whoever it was, he had to be extremely careful. Goosebumps covered his skin since his only article of clothing was his boxers. He continued forward towards the horrifying and distinct smell.

Just a couple more steps and-

A girl with a long side braid appeared in front of him. He froze in place. What was she doing wondering around here? He tilted his head studying her appearance. She was well fed and clean. The horrible war going on around them left her untouched. His shoulders sagged and he gave her a small smile. She eyed him carefully and stepped forward. In her hands he could see her holding out clothes.

He pointed to himself and she nodded holding them out farther. He took the clothes without questioning her any further and put them on. All she had given him was a black shirt with matching black sweatpants. Once his adjusted his pants, the small girl grabbed his wrist and pulled him after her.

"Whoa! Thanks for the clothes and everything but what are you doing?" She turned and smiled.

"Please come with me to the village. I was told to come and pick you up." She tugged on his wrist again and the blond reluctantly followed. The pounding headache he once had disappeared along with the menacing voice. "By the way," The girl spoke with light laughter in her voice. "My name is Ami."

"Nice to meet you, Ami." He mumbled. "My name is-"

"I know what your name is Naruto. Remember I had to come and find you!" Ami stopped suddenly and sniffed the air. "This way should take us back."

Could she tell which way she was going by sniffing the air? As far as he knew the only smell that assaulted his senses was burnt flesh. He pried off Ami's hand and caught her shoulder. She turned slowly meeting his eyes.

The girl, who called herself Ami, had to be about a year or two younger than him and the color of her eyes reminded him of Sakura. They weren't as brilliant but they were still a vibrant shade. Freckles covered mostly around the center of her face and her strawberry blonde hair, even in a side braid, managed to reach her waist. She stood a few inches shorter than him and her feet were bare of shoes. He could see the dirt in-between her toes.

"What's the matter?" She asked keeping her gaze steady.

"You never told me who told you to come and get me, or where exactly to find me."

Her eyes sparkled. "I think you know who sent me." She twirled in a circle and called after him to follow.

He didn't move. The feeling of being watched overcame him and he looked around as if he could spot someone lurking in the shadows. From what he could sense, nothing was in the forest besides Ami and whatever animals lived here. The small girl called out again and he ran to catch up with her.

* * *

><p>"Have you gotten word from your friend, Hokage-sama?"<p>

The woman in question leaned back in her office chair and took a swig of her tainted coffee. "Nothing yet but I'm sure he got the message. As we speak he is probably tracking Naruto and is close to detaining him." She smiled at the thought that this problem could be solved so quickly. Then again she knew what could get in her way.

The people of that blasted village were twisted and corrupt. All of them needed to be sent to insane asylums. Their talk of spirits being made of chakra and the guardians who watched over them was all crazy. Yes she had witnessed the chakra beasts as a small child, but they had long disappeared along with their legends. The Hokage remembered going on missions delivering messages back and forth between the Hidden Leaf and their secluded area. The only magnificent building there was their worship temple.

The village elders wouldn't let people who didn't believe their stories go into the tower saying it was a disgrace to their people. They never participated in the wars, and they demanded to be left alone. The last two generations had completely forgotten the existence of the village and the name of it even escaped her.

The thing that puzzled her the most was why Naruto was found near the temple. She had never seen such an emotionally and mentally disturbed ninja before. Of course it didn't help that fact that he was stark naked and dried blood covered his torso, hands, and face. He was so angry and violent. Not to mention that he had almost ripped a rescue ninja to pieces. She was thankful that Shizune was present and apprehended him.

The woman sighed as Kakashi tore her attention from her thoughts. "Say that again? Forgive me I wasn't listening."

Kakashi merely shrugged and repeated, "This has something to do with where the rescue team found him, right?"

"Yes," She nodded before adding, "The team wasn't meant to find him. They were on another mission and just happened to come across him."

"Either way I'm glad to know he wasn't dead." He cleared his throat. "Have the elders noticed anything?"

"No not yet. I'm planning on keeping it that way for as long as I can too." Tsunade stood from her chair and stretched. "If you'll excuse me I have a war meeting to go to."

* * *

><p>"Hey Ami, do you smell anything in the air?"<p>

The girl shook her head. "No, why do you smell something?"

"I'm not sure. I've been smelling…" He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders.

The girl turned her head sizing him up. "Obviously, you weren't the greatest ninja in your village were you?"

An eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "I don't think it's your place to be making that kind of judgment, Ami." He tried pulling free from the girl's grip but she had a pretty good hold.

"If big sis saw how much you were struggling to get free. She would beat you up."

That statement puzzled him. "So you have a sister?"

Ami turned suddenly fueled with boisterous energy. "She told me all about you and told me to come and get you at a certain time and place! So don't be _stupid_ and hurt her feelings!"

Naruto cringed. "I'm not trying to hurt anyone's feelings! I just want to understand what is going on!" That's when he saw the tears brimming on her face. Not to mention Ami's nails were digging deep into his wrist.

"Just be a good boy, Naruto, for me and my mom's sake!" Tears streamed down her face. "Please!" She started wiping away the tears but her sobbing only worsened. That's when Naruto brought her in for a hug; softly rubbing his free hand up and down her back.

"I'm sorry, Ami. I can be a handful I know. Please forgive me." She pulled back, letting go of Naruto's wrist and placed her hands on either side of his face.

"Big sis mentioned that you would be kind to me." She kissed his forehead quickly, and then grabbed onto his wrist again to finish the rest of their journey.

* * *

><p>"We're almost there, Naruto." Ami's grip tightened for a moment before relaxing again. "I hope you find my village to your liking."<p>

The boy didn't answer. He was too busy staring at the woman who appeared before them. She looked like an older, more mature version of Ami. But something about her eyes was unsettling. Ami let go of Naruto's wrist and ran towards the woman, arms stretched wide as she enveloped her in a hug. The woman returned the hug but kept staring towards Naruto.

When Ami released the woman, she introduced her. "Naruto this is my mother, Suki. She's got another change of clothes for you."

His eyes fell down to the black and blue kimono in her arms. That's when he felt a hand touch his hair. He blushed at the contact and peered up at the woman noticing that she was in fact blind. Her hand fell to his cheek then back to her side as he grabbed the clothes from her. He didn't even hear her move towards him!

"We'll change into our kimonos over there out of sight that way we can all have our privacy. But hurry up we have a festival to attend!" Ami's voice was stern as she led her mother away to a group of trees to conceal them.

Naruto didn't waste time and just as he was trying to tie his kimono up Ami and Suki were already done. He hid his surprise at their swift change of clothes. Ami scolded the blond about being slow and helped him tie his kimono properly. She then proceeded to grab a hold Naruto and Suki's hands letting her excitement pour out in huge waves of enthusiasm. Naruto took this time to study Suki only to have her turn and smile at him.

"The festivals are a very big part of our village this time of year." Suki's eyes never wavered from him.

"Really? What do you celebrate this time of year?" His throat felt dry and itchy. He couldn't figure out why this woman was making him so frazzled.

She smiled. "We celebrate the time of lust, greed, and rebirth."

Naruto frowned. "Lust and greed?"

"Well, you see in order for people to be reborn they need to learn from their lust and greed. It's sort of… a time period in our lives where we learn to not be selfish and to think of others instead." She pointed to her daughter, Ami. "She was born out of the lust and greed of her father and me; which in turn, taught me to put her first and not let my negative desires get the better of me."

Ami piped up. "Daddy died after he left us for another woman. It was life's way of teaching him a lesson."

Naruto was stunned. "You really think he died because of his lust and greed?"

Ami nodded while Suki seemed thoughtful like she wasn't really sure how to answer his question. They walked in silence for what seemed like forever until a certain rumble of drums off in the distance caught his attention. It sounded like they were finally getting close. Ami sprang forward releasing Naruto and Suki's hands and shot off towards the drums. Suki stumbled over a rock and Naruto was quick to steady her again.

"I should've mentioned that Ami hasn't experienced what we have yet. She is still young and naive." Suki grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm letting him lead her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You literally died before being reborn just like me and many other people in our village have only we did it spiritually, you were a special case. Something you should be very proud of."

His heart skipped a beat. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You will soon enough, Naruto. Many things will become clear in the near future. I can promise you that." She patted his arm affectionately, the small smile still on her face.

The drums gradually grew louder as they approached the village and Naruto's stomach churned. Suki was crazy. That's all there was to it and he knew that meant the other villagers were going to be the same way. They stopped for a moment so Suki could adjust her shoes, and Naruto took the time to study the festival.

It was just like any other festival he had been too. People were wearing masks, there were games, children running and screaming, and couples out on dates enjoying each other's company. He noticed a few people turned in his direction. For some reason he got the feeling that they were curious about him. Just as someone was about to speak out to him, Suki tugged on his sleeve.

"Naruto? Is everything okay?" She was staring at him again.

He replied 'no' and returned his gaze to the crowd around them. He watched for Ami, but it seemed she was long gone by now. He didn't want to admit it, but he really didn't want to be alone with Suki.

"Do you want to play any games, Naruto?"

"Um… sure how about the fishing game over here." Naruto led her over to booth and panicked when he realized he didn't have any money with him. Before he could apologize to the booth owner, Suki handed over some cash. When Naruto looked up, he found her grinning down at him.

She replied, "This was one of my favorite games when I was your age."

Naruto cleared his throat and began to fish. He needed to find the red ring in order to win a stuffed animal and he had his eyes on a giant, orange fox for Ami. After his three tries in the bucket, he got nothing but duds. He scratched his head in embarrassment. Just as he was about to lead Suki to another booth a girl in a red, rose printed kimono came up and handed him some more money. Her face was hidden behind a raven mask and even her eyes were hard to make out behind it.

"I can't accept your money, plus I'm terrible at this game!" He pushed the cash back towards the girl only to meet resistance. His mouth fell open. Was this girl really serious? His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You can do it, Naruto. I believe in you!" Even though Suki couldn't see him, he still rolled his eyes. He went back to the game and handed over the cash. The booth owner's eyes gleamed with pride probably due to the fact that this booth was rigged just to pull in more customers' money.

He bit the inside of his cheek as he crouched down again with his fishing pole at the ready. He caught the girl with the raven mask crouching down next to him so close that their shoulders were touching. Blood rushed to his cheeks.

Naruto ignored it and tossed the end of the fishing line into the bucket. He figured if he dug at the bottom maybe he could capture the elusive red ring. But just as he caught a ring and brought it the surface it turned out to be another dud. He slapped his palm against his cheek and let out a long sigh.

"This is ridiculous." He mumbled resting his head on his hand.

A hand curled around his and forced him to throw the line back in. As it was sinking low into the bucket the girl jerked his hand and the rod, and there right at the end of the hook was the red ring. Naruto couldn't believe his eyes! He looked up at the owner and saw the disappointment painted throughout his expression, and then turned to the girl who had helped him. From what he could figure, she wasn't at all surprised about his win.

"How did you do-"

A voice cut him off. "Did you win, Naruto?"

Naruto turned to Suki and replied, "Yeah I did with the help of-"

The girl's grip on his hand vanished and the blond snapped back only to see her disappearing into the crowd. That's when he saw the rosy, pink hair tied up into a bun in the back and his heart skipped a beat yet again. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion about her and now there was no doubt about who she was.

* * *

><p>Shortly after, Naruto went on a winning streak with the games and was currently trying to hold onto every prize that he had gotten in the last twenty minutes. Ami didn't make an appearance, so he and Suki sat at a picnic table eating their dinner in silence. Naruto had won Suki a pair of pearl earrings and she could not stop rubbing them with her fingers, analyzing everything about them. She had explained to him that the last time she had gotten a present from a man was when she was married. Naruto balked at the comment and scratched his head nervously.<p>

He quickly changed the subject to other matters such as what this small village was famous for. Suki pondered for a while before commenting about the fact that they were a peaceful village and didn't need to be famous for anything. But she did go on to mention the prized temple right smack dab in the middle of the festival. Naruto took the time to admire the building noticing how well kept it appeared from a far. It was obviously a very prized possession among the villagers.

"What is it for anyway? Do you go there to pray or something?"

Suki beamed. "Yes that is one of the many things that can be done there. We also have weddings, births, and all sorts of small events at the temple."

He squinted at the building once more noticing lights all throughout were turned on. "Do people like monks watch over the temple then?"

"Oh no, Naruto, the spirit of lust and greed resides there. It watches over the villagers and takes care of the temple for us."

His eyebrows scrunched together, confused by her words. "So you mean to tell me nobody else takes care of the temple besides the spirit of it?"

"You got it. Our only job is to cleanse our spirits of impurities and beg to be called upon for our tasks to become better people." Naruto could tell she was being dead serious about everything she was talking about.

"So anybody is allowed to enter the temple then? To 'cleanse' their souls?" He pressed on trying to make sense of her words. For some reason something about that temple was beginning to bother him.

Suki frowned for a moment and tapped a finger against her chin to think. "To be honest… nobody outside of our village is allowed in but there has been a recent case where someone from the outside has gotten in. I just don't remember who or why exactly."

He felt a ringing in his ears growing louder and louder with every second. The next thing he knew he was on the ground writhing in pain. Nobody looked in his direction even Suki seemed unaffected. It was like time had slowed down. Just as quick as the episode had started, it ended leaving Naruto's body limp.

He craned his neck and looked up at a blurry figure of what appeared to be an old man with white hair and strange clothing peering over him.

The man quickly helped Naruto up and onto the bench not uttering a single word. His gaze passed from him to Suki.

"Suki, is that you?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

The woman in question scrunched her unseeing eyes. "Jiraya?" She asked back.

"What happened to your eyes? The last time I saw you…" His voice slowly died off as he glanced at the temple then back to Suki.

She smiled. "The last time you saw me I could see. Yes well…" She shrugged her shoulders. "Things are changing for the better. I gave birth to a healthy girl while you were away."

Naruto watched as Jiraya nodded his head slowly. For some reason this man and his name was familiar but he couldn't think why. When he took notice of the man's headband it suddenly hit him.

"You're one of the legendary Sanin, aren't you?"

Jiraya turned and gave him a cheeky smile. "Why yes I am brat, and you must be the boy I'm supposed to take back to village, right?"

"No! You mustn't do that! He is meant to stay a little longer!" Suki stood reaching her hand out for the boy. "Come on now. This man isn't any good for either of us. You need your rest now."

Jiraya stood from his kneeling position and pressed his hand against Naruto's chest. "Listen, Suki, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just on a simple mission to bring this boy home nothing more."

Suki walked around the table and slapped Jiraya's hand away. "Leave now, Jiraya. You were banished from here long ago. Now disappear before you are noticed."

"I can't do that. Just give me the boy and I will be on my way out."

"Never."

Jiraya roughly grabbed Naruto by his kimono and drug him to his feet. "What the hell?" The blond shouted.

"Leave him alone!" A small, yet fierce voice yelled from behind the old man. They all turned to find Ami standing and holding cotton candy. A large raven mask hung around her neck. "Whatever you're planning to do with him, stop it. You heard my mother."

Naruto was dumbfounded. Never in his life had he experienced something like this before. Well maybe once when Sasuke and Ino were arguing over stupid things. But this was completely out of his league of understanding.

"I know what you are planning to do with him. You're going to send him to the temple." Jiraya's grip on Naruto's kimono tightened.

"He has no choice and you will not take this away from the village." Ami threw her cotton candy to the ground and stalked forward. Naruto tried to pry the man's hand off but it wouldn't budge.

"Whoa! Hold on, Ami! You're just a kid!"

Ami was spitting venom. "Shut your mouth, Naruto! This isn't the time for you to be talking!"

A hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to stare at Suki. Watching as she gazed upon Jiraya and spat at his feet. Naruto could feel the ringing in his ears start again. Everything was too chaotic he just wanted it to end. He wanted answers to his questions not more questions for his questions. His hands lost their grip on Jiraya's and slid off. His vision began to swirl and the blackness began to shroud his thoughts.

Ami screamed his name and Suki caught his body as Jiraya loosened his grip. His head rested in the woman's lap and she quietly shushed him, not wanting him to speak. His hearing faded and the darkness eventually ate him whole.

* * *

><p>Naruto was startled when he woke up to find himself in bed. The fireplace next to him roared with warmth. He watched the crackling wood and sparks, mesmerized by the colors and noises it created. The fiery reds, burnt oranges and bold yellows blended together like a beautiful canvas. The wood smelled of oak and he relished the smell. Breathing in deeply and letting the smoky scent fill his lungs.<p>

The memory of Sakura and candlelight consumed his mind. The way her emerald eyes were bright even in the poorly lit room. The orange ambience tinting her hair and skin in such an exciting way he had to flip away from the fireplace so the memory didn't eat him alive. He didn't like this feeling of wanting to be close to her and touch her with his own intent. It was all so new and fresh. He had never experienced this before especially with another person. To feel the softness of her skin and particularly the beating of her heart would definitely send him over the edge.

It was hard for him to imagine that she was a living, breathing thing. Just the thought of her drove him insane. He didn't understand why his feelings were so strong whenever she popped up into his mind. All he could conclude was that it was unhealthy and weird for a boy at fourteen to be feeling this way. Well, next month he would be fifteen but that wasn't the point. The point was that girl was a lot more trouble than he initially thought.

He hadn't noticed Ami was standing in the room with him. She was holding a cup to her lips and was watching him intently. Naruto smiled up at her watching as she flashed him a toothy grin as well.

"How do you feel?" She whispered.

"I feel groggy, I guess. I assume we're at your house?"

Ami's pale, green eyes glittered in the shadows of the room. "Nope, you're in jail for being a bad boy."

Naruto snorted at the joke while Ami padded over to the boy and sat down next to him emptying the last remaining liquid from the cup. She licked her lips and set the cup down next to her.

"What were you drinking?" Naruto was parched and whatever was in that cup smelled delicious.

Ami poked the boy's nose and giggled. "I'm not telling you! You're being punished!"

Naruto's stomach growled in response.

"Now, Ami be polite. He's a growing boy in need of nourishment." Suki appeared with a tray of beef stew along with a cup of steaming rice. Naruto's stomach growled again. He noticed as he tried to get up that he was stiff to the bone. Suki set the tray down and helped him sit up.

"That's what you get for being asleep for twelve hours. Of course, you'll need all your pent up energy for today."

Naruto's jaw dropped. He had been sleeping for twelve hours? It wasn't unlike him most days when he had the day off to train or needed to catch up on sleep, but twelve hours in this place was ridiculous!

"Do you want me to feed you like a baby, Naruto?" Ami was teasing but he couldn't bring himself to laugh along with her.

He looked up at Suki meeting her grey, blue eyes. "Where is Jiraya at?"

Suki's expression remained blank. "He's in the village staying with the elders."

"So he's not banished then?"

Ami poked Naruto with a fork gaining his full attention again. "Eat. You need energy."

He let out a long sigh and did as he was told. Before long he finished his meal. Ami took his dirty dishes away and quickly came back moments later.

"It's time for you to leave." She reported.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?" That's when it hit him. "Does this have to do with going to the temple?"

Ami smiled wide. "You know it."

Honestly, the blond had thought he would have been anxious or resistant to the idea, but he wasn't. He suddenly realized that he wanted nothing more than to go to the temple. He felt ready to face whatever was waiting for him there, whether it involved Sakura or not.

"You'll have to change back into your black shirt and sweatpants again." Ami pointed to the clothes in the corner of the room.

"I thought we left our clothes in the forest." He slowly stood up and moved towards the clothes.

Ami leaned back and forth on her feet. "My mom picked them up and washed 'em for you."

Naruto nodded and waited for her to the close the door. He peeled off his kimono and stared down at his abdomen. The tattoo, in a weird sense, was striking. The symbols were strange but overall if this tattoo was on someone else he knew it would catch his eye. Shaking his head of those thoughts, he finished changing and walked out of the room.

Ami and Suki were waiting outside and ushered him along. Reaching the temple was going to be easy, but facing what was inside was a whole another story.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh dear lord. It's a super long update compared to the past! Writing this chapter felt so good and posting this feels even better! I have been dying to update this story and now I am done with college for the semester. Finally I can push myself to start updating more seriously! Overall I really feel good about this chapter and the characters I introduced. I tried to make them strange and different compared to what Naruto usually experiences with people. Anyway, stay tune for the next one! WHY?! Because we finally get to seriously meet the 'mysterious' girl! ;) And that's all I'm going to say about that! <strong>

**Thank you for reading and **_**PLEASE REVIEW BELOW!**_

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